I loved this. The characters, the atmosphere, and the story had me gripped from start to finish. It was so fast paced and i was so shocked on the many twists and turns. I’m excited to read more from this author.

If you know me , I love a good reunion story with a cabin in the mountains or lake. I did like this book until the ending . The ending was very rushed and in a way ruined it for me.

⭐⭐⭐

The book “Secrets at Meadow Lake” by Wendy Owens is a thrilling tale centered around a group of college friends who believe they have successfully gotten away with a serious crime. However, a decade later, they all receive mysterious invitations to a cabin on Meadow Lake, coinciding with the anniversary of the event that changed their lives forever. As tensions rise amidst a snowstorm, the group must uncover the truth behind their reunion and confront their troubled pasts. With the body count increasing, their primary goal becomes survival while dealing with the secrets that brought them together.

Now, let me tell you what I thought about this book. I found the premise interesting and the pacing quick. However, it felt somewhat far-fetched and predictable at certain points. The narrative also suffered from repetition, although it still managed to entertain me.

My main issue is that the ending felt rushed. Like, seriously rushed. And c’mon, if things went down the way they did, you would think there’d be a ton of follow-up questions from the law enforcement, right? But hey, overall, I still liked it. Oh, and can we take a moment to appreciate the cover? It’s seriously amazing! An excellent cover always catches my eye, and this one definitely did.

So yeah, “Secrets at Meadow Lake” is a fun read, even with its flaws. If you’re up for some suspense and don’t mind a bit of predictability, give it a shot. Trust me, it’s worth checking out.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

★★★ 3.5 stars

Another thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None"< hot off the tail of my previous read "The Wilderness Retreat" which was vaguely similar. As opposed to a bunch of strangers holed up in the wilderness, this one sees a group of friends mysteriously summoned to an isolated cabin. Cue Ms Christie.

Riley and her friends all receive a mysterious invitation to a weekend at a remote cabin on Meadow Lake. It is obvious that this is no coincidence as it also marks the tenth anniversary of the night that changed all their lives forever. Ten years ago, they got away with a crime. Or so they thought. Because now, someone knows what they did and are hell bent on the truth coming to the surface once and for all. Tensions run high as a snowstorm cuts them off and they each try to figure out who who summoned them here and what is their end game?

And then one by one, each of them begin to meet an horrific end.

But before the weekend is out, who will be left standing? And who will confront the dark past and the secret they thought would stay buried forever? Will any of them make it out alive?

This was a fairly quick read that I was surprised about but it was a fun an entertaining thriller that really gives you that sense of isolation and claustrophobia.

I would like to thank #WendyOwens, #Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of #SecretsAtMeadowLake in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

And just like that, the perfect book just falls into my lap at the perfect time.

I absolutely obsess over the whole dual time line, academia thrillers. I have spent hours in the bookstore reading the back of books in search of EXACTLY what I just found in Secrets at Meadow Lake.

This was my first book by Wendy Owens but I say with 100 percent certainty it will not be my last. This is also book one in what will be a mind blowing series ( I can't wait to read book two!)

I tend to gravitate toward character driven books and I was not disappointed! I loved, I hated, I grappled with all of the emotions in between.

The plot was absolutely insane, the twist was one I did not see coming and these characters, even flawed, found their place within my soul.

Wendy Owens, you rocked out with this one and I am so excited to see what is next for you!

Teaser :

Ten years ago, a secret bound them together. Now, their past returns to haunt them.

Riley and her college friends share a dark past, a crime they thought they'd buried deep. But when each of them receives a mysterious invitation to a weekend getaway at a cabin on Meadow Lake, they're forced to confront the chilling truth—their secret isn't as hidden as they thought.

As the reunion unfolds on the anniversary of the night that changed their lives, tensions mount and mistrust boils to the surface. Trapped in a snowstorm, they scramble to uncover the mastermind behind the invitation. Is it one of their own, seeking revenge or blackmail? Or is a new threat lurking in the shadows?

With the body count rising, Riley and her friends must face the secret that binds them and the unsettling possibility that their worst enemy might be closer than they realize. As the truth unravels, they quickly learn that the past never stays buried, and some secrets are more dangerous than they ever imagined.

Can they survive the harrowing weekend at Meadow Lake, or is the endgame more sinister than they could have ever predicted?

"Secrets At Meadow Lake" is a tense, fast-paced psychological suspense thriller that delves into the breakdown of trust among friends and the devastating consequences of their actions. If you love locked-room mysteries, morally complex characters, and edge-of-your-seat nail-biting suspense, this gripping tale is a must-read.

Oh my goodness! This was such a fun, fast-paced thriller that I could not put it down at all (except at night because of the spooky vibes oops).

Riley and her old college friends get fancy invitations to catch up in a secluded cabin on Meadow Lake on the anniversary date of something tragic that happened back then. The drive leading up to the cabin is spent in anxious waiting as Riley has not been in contact since then and still feels guilty for what happened. When she arrives it starts of a bit awkward, but as normal as it might get when you see people after such a long time. Only then tragedy strikes once again and one of them dies, leaving the survivors stuck with a dead body in a snow storm. One-by-one others drop like flies leaving the remaining friends in a frenzied panic accusing each other left and right. Who is behind this? What do they want? And biggest question of all: who will survive?

It took me quite a bit until I figured out who might be behind it, and even then I wasn’t sure until it was actually said. It was done incredibly for such a little amount of pages (it almost felt like a novella). And that ending, oh my goodness. It had me holding my breath multiple times not knowing what to expect next.

The only downside to the fast pacing was that we didn’t get much time to get to know each character individually. But it didn’t feel like a dealbreaker since all characters were very distinct from the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Really enjoyed this book.
Lots of characters and storylines but they stay on track.
Really good read.

3.5 stars

Content Warning: death, murder, sexual assault, suicide, gun violence

I was quite surprised with how Wendy Owens managed to do such a good job of fitting so much into so few pages. Secrets at Meadow Lake was only 160-something pages and I was hooked with all of them.

We all know by now that I love nothing more than a ’10 years later’ thriller, and this book was just that. Ten years ago, a group of university students committed a crime, and now, a decade later, someone else knows about it and they have invited the group to a remote location in the middle of a snowstorm; one of many perfect locations for such a story.

Along with a group of university acquaintances, Riley and her friends had to take things into their own hands in order to put a stop to something continuing to happen at their uni, and nobody ever got the blame for it; it was reported as an accident. You can probably understand the gist of what happened, but I obviously won’t go into specifics, but it is where one of the book’s content warnings comes into play.

You’d think, since I love these types of books so much, I’d have it figured out from the start, but it wasn’t until the last minute that I guessed where this book was going and who was behind Riley and co. being invited to Meadow Lake.

This was such an unexpected quick read and I never found myself wanting to put it down; it always kept me gripped from the opening page. I would highly recommend this one to all thriller lovers if you’re looking for a great read and something short to up your reading goal.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

All the love

Secrets at Meadow Lake was thriller that held my interest right from the start. The story gave us murder, suspense and mystery and had me guessing throughout, but also gave me chills as the story progressed and had me at the edge of my seat, as I had no clue where the danger was coming from.
The novel was fast paced with unexpected twists and turns and with each new tragedy, more questions arose until the truth eventually comes out. The story focused on the murder mystery aspect so there wasn’t much character development however each character brought something different to the table, and tension ran high among them as the bodies kept dropping and the group had to relive their dark secret to try to figure out how to save their lives.
I really enjoyed this novel but I felt the ending was a bit rushed. However I would definitely recommend it to lovers of thrillers.

Yet another old freidnda reunite and some secrets from the last come back to haunt them type, but.... I liked that this one sounded a bit darker than a lot of the others I've read and it definitely was! It's got the whole creepy, serial killer, horror vibe which added an entirely new dimension to the story. The setting if the isolated cabin in the snow and the little incidents that started happening really did have my hair standing on end. The tension is built so perfectly and I still couldn't guess which one of the friends were behind it, if it even was one of them! It's a really short and easy read but definitely don't be put off because you think it's just another reunion thriller, this one definitely elevates itsself and is worth a read

This is a fun, fast-paced isolation mystery/thriller following a woman who is invited to a reunion with college friends at a remote cabin. It is clear from the setup that the group of friends had committed some kind of atrocity together at college. Throughout the story, we are slowly fed information about this past event.

This was a much shorter book than I expected, and its compulsive pacing combined with its short length makes it a very quick and engaging read. The book doesn’t spend much time on character development and instead really focuses on the thriller aspects. That said, over the course of this short book, each of the group of friends were very distinct from the start.

I would have preferred a little more time to get to know the characters better, and to let the past mystery be more organically presented, but this was an enjoyable and engaging mystery/thriller.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets at Meadow Lake by Wendy Owens.
A group of college friends got away with an unthinkable crime, or so they thought. Ten years after that fateful night, Riley and her friends all receive a mysterious invitation to spend the weekend at a cabin on Meadow Lake. It's obvious to all that it isn't a coincidence the gathering falls on the anniversary of the evening that changed their lives forever. Once everyone arrives, tensions run high in the midst of a snowstorm as everyone tries to figure out who brought them together and to what end. As the snow continues to fall, the body count begins to rise. The survivors must confront their dark pasts and the secret that brought them back together if they have any chance of surviving. Will they make it out alive, or does whoever knows their secret have other plans for them?
I really enjoyed this book. Twisty and gripping. 5*.

Phew! A quick read with a swift and shocking punch. It's a classic trope and it's done well. It borders on horror with the creative ways these 'buddies' are killed off. I was kept guessing to the end about who was behind it all.

Reconnecting by mysterious invitation, six college friends find themselves at a house on Meadow Lake during a blizzard. The tie that binds these friends together will be theirs undoing. The unraveling of current and past events will surely keep readers turning pages. Owens does a fantastic job lacing in details that make the new information relevant and elevating the plot. The ending was rushed and I would have loved a glance forward as the group makes a new decision that now alters their future. Maybe this is Owens’ way of leaving it open for a next is series…we shall see!

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The latest psychological thriller from Wendy L Owens and it’s a twisted tale reminiscent of the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie, and I mean that as the highest praise. Ten years ago Riley and her college friends last meeting ended in death, now close to the anniversary, they all receive sinister invitations to a reunion at a secluded cabin in the woods. Is their secret out? Does some random stranger know what happened that night or is the threat closer to home? Has one of the group turned on the others? Trapped in a snowstorm and cut off from the outside world with the body count rising, they need to figure it out before its too late….

I love Wendy Owens books as a rule and Secrets At Meadow Lake was no different. She sucked me right in from the opening pages and had me engrossed throughout, keeping this reader guessing with a plot that ramped up the suspense as my list of suspects grew shorter with each turn of the page. None of the characters were very likeable but whether that was completely down to past events shaping them or they were just that way anyway, they just seemed a random group of people to have got together in the first place. Perhaps it was a “seven stages of Kevin Bacon” type of scenario. No matter I still enjoyed this book even if I did finish it wishing the final tally had included some of the survivors.

A typical scenario these days for a locked room mystery - isolated property, snow storms, no phone signal. Add a bunch of college 'friends' twenty years on and an invitation to said property. They arrive and immediately return to being college kids - macho lads, bitchy females; all seemed to have made a good life for themselves and all had some concerns about a "dark secret" that they have hidden from the world these past twenty years. But someone knows, or do they? Vehicle keys, kitchen knives and other potential weapons go missing, Helen dies, then someone else, the others start falling apart even more. They are essentially a horrible bunch of people, bitching at and about each other, blaming all except whoever is talking at the time. Two of the blokes head out to get help. One dies, the other returns and is suspected. More bitching,. Perpetrator totally obvious I'm sorry to say once we knew the dark secret which is unpleasant. Good descriptions of the snow storm and cold.. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy.

Riley and her college friends get invitations to a secluded cabin on Meadow Lake on the anniversary of a tragedy they were involved in.
They begin being bumped off one by one in horrific ways.
This was a great read I hated to put down.
Thanks NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC that will be published April 12, 2023!

This was a really quick and easy read for me, and I loved the setting of the story, although I wish it could have been a little longer as the ending felt rushed. Definitely one of those books I wouldn't mind a re-read!

A short but easy read. When a group of middle aged, estranged college friends get an anonymous invitation to attend a reunion in a cabin out in the middle of no where during a severe snowstorm, it is obvious there will be catastrophic consequences. There was lots of suspense surrounding their "secret" from years ago and I was kept intrigued to find out what this was. I was also kept guessing throughout as to who was behind organising the reunion. Although the storyline was quite far fetched, it did keep me guessing and for a short read, it did keep me entertained. As long as you can ignore the unbelievable premise of the book, it was worth a read.

This was one of those books that I found myself reading in a day. I did guess who was responsible before the end, but there were more twists to come. I wouldn't say all the characters were likeable, but there were some I hoped would survive more than others. A good speedy plot which I enjoyed reading.